But What If?

But what if accessing and expressing compassion is not something that comes naturally to you?

Does it matter?

As you know, compassion is an active emotional state Justin and I have been thinking about and writing on a lot lately.  We’ve been trying to get our minds around it.  Attempting to consider how it works out in our daily lives, with others and ourselves.

But what if accessing and expressing compassion is not something that comes naturally to you?

What do you do?

Does it even matter?

I think it’s helpful to think about these questions in light of our current social, political interactions. It seems generally, in our public arena, and more personally, in our daily conversations, we are becoming more and more acrimonious and vicious.  Our neighbor is no longer our neighbor.  As Justin said last week, “It seems we are more prone to look for enemies rather than neighbours.”

If this is the case, then it makes me wonder, is it possible for us to live without compassion?

I don’t think so.

I believe, in all our human relationships and associations, especially with our lurking suspicions and differing opinions, compassion is vital.  The thing is, when we talk about relationships, it’s not just about how we speak and behave towards others, but it’s also how we talk to and treat ourselves.

Both are equally important.

Both are vital to be aware of.

Both are closely linked to what it means to be created in the image of God.

The thing is, God did not create us to be functional robots or mechanical automatons devoid of having feelings, expressing and showing them.  Ones like compassion.

Neither did He create us not to think critically.  Nor not to think about what’s happening around us.

Instead, God created us to use our minds.  To think deeply with our emotions.

We each have the ability to feel and perceive things.  To be powerfully stirred by what’s happening around us and to engage relationally.

In love, not hate.

With action.

Look and listen to Jesus:

Jesus saw the huge crowd as He stepped from the boat, and He had compassion on them and healed their sick (Matthew 14:14, NLT).

[Jesus speaking] “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate” (Luke 6:36, NLT).

So how can we be compassionate?

By doing it.

Compassion is an active emotional state, not passive.

It’s day to day.

It is being thoughtful and expressing ourselves emotionally.  Perhaps this is even more true when we disagree or don’t have anything in common with those around us.

The bottomline is that being compassionate is not optional.

It is essential. 

Compassion for others and ourselves is our only choice. 

Because it will literally change a person or a situation.

Jesus shows us and tells us compassion is integral to what it means to be created in the image of God.